1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cellular telecommunications network and, more particularly, to a system and method of evaluating the speech and radio quality of a telecommunications system.
2. Description of Related Art
Techniques exist in cellular telecommunications networks for gathering information relating to the radio quality of the air interface link between a base station and a mobile station. Various radio quality parameters such as Signal Strength (SS), Bit Error Rate (BER), Frame Erasure Rate (FER), Frequency Error (FRE), Time Alignment (TA), and mobile station Power Level (PL) have been utilized in attempts to identify parameters directly or indirectly impacting the speech quality on air interface links. However, systems for the analysis, organization, and presentation of this data to system operators have been lacking. Moreover, there has not been a system for directly correlating measured radio quality parameters with subjective evaluations of the speech quality of a particular air interface link.
Although there are no known prior art teachings of a solution to the aforementioned deficiency and shortcoming such as that disclosed herein, German Patent DE 4442613A1 to Peschel et al. discusses subject matter that bears some relation to matters discussed herein. Peschel discloses a mobile recording device which may be utilized to record signals over the air interface and generate values for the radio quality parameters. However, Peschel does not teach or suggest a system or method of analyzing, organizing, and presenting this data to system operators. Moreover, Peschel does not teach or suggest a system or method of directly correlating measured radio quality parameters with subjective evaluations of the speech quality of a particular air interface link.
Review of the foregoing reference reveals no disclosure or suggestion of a system or method such as that described and claimed herein.
In order to overcome the disadvantage of existing solutions, it would be advantageous to have a system and method of analyzing, organizing, and presenting to system operators, radio quality data from the air interface link. Such a system and method could also enable direct correlation of measured radio quality parameters with subjective evaluations of the speech quality of a particular air interface link. The present invention provides such a system and method.